These pictures were taken this week after Urban Toot received a tip that the City was receiving water deliveries from Sparkletts.

Urban Toot asks the question. Why does the city spend tax dollars on buying bottled water instead of drinking water from the tap? Is this a wise use of public money? Why doesn’t the City of Glendale refill water bottles from the tap?

Over the years, Glendale Water & Power customers have known that they can count on having excellent water quality and water reliability. Each year, GWP sends a water quality report to every customer in the city. Consistently, these reports show that Glendale water meets and, in many instances, surpasses all federal and state drinking water standards.

Urban Toot asks, if it’s so good why don’t they drink their own Water?

Urban Toot called Glendale Water and Power. We identified ourselves and asked for a call back because we had some questions but our call was never returned. Perhaps here is a good reason. We’d like to know.

We welcome and invite everyone including the city to leave a comment on this below.

Yes I am, sort of new in town again. People in Glendale are great. I want to share with you a few of my shopping experiences.

A few days ago I needed a few items from Micheals. Now we all know that to be a good shopper at Micheals you need to cruise around the store and give things a quick once over. However, when my hubby is waiting in the car (and probably timing me) I make every effort to be quick.

So here I am, in Micheals, with a few items in the basket, looking for the end of the line. (I’m sure you know the long line, that thanks to good planning, moves quickly.) Yea Micheals.

I arrive near the end of the line when I realize that I must go around more merchandise to reach the end. The mother and daughter at the end of the line insist that I go ahead of them. I guess I look really old and tired. Yea for people that care.

With many thanks I got on line. Now the lady in front of me has some pencil erasers in her basket. I ask her how much they cost.

She told me they were only $1.00 for a pack of 40. I thought that was a good deal and asked if they were nearby. No, they were in the rear of the store. She then offered to go get them for me. I watched her basket and off she went.

Quickly from the back of the line she was now first, but no sign of her. I left her cart under the watchful care of the mother and daughter behind me. So there I was at the cashier, watching the cart (from a distance) along with the young lady who was behind me. In time for me to still buy the erasers, she suddenly appeared, and I got my erasers and she went right to another cashier. I conclude that good people shop in Micheals.

Now let me tell you I love to shop. (especially without my husband) My health doesn’t allow for much shopping times, but it’s still one of my favorite things to do. To be visiting here from out of town is great. My daughter in law is a good shopping partner. Yea for a great daughter-in- law.

To know Glendale is brimming with many helpful people is really special. The other day I was in CVS and a lady came up to me and gave me a coupon for $10.00 off that she was unable to use. My goodness. What a kind person. She was very generous to take her time to share.

Today at Target I was able to get a handicapped shopping cart because one lady had not only brought it back into the store, but cared enough to also plug it in. A special yea for Target because I can shop there without pain or bring by wheelchair.

You need to know that there are many kind and generous people living in your community. Let’s work on getting to be able to do acts of kindness wherever we are.

The Monterey Road Eco-Community Garden in Glendale stands out as a simple yet productive urban renewal living project. Now in its fourth year, the Garden occupies what used to be two vacant parcels in a residential neighborhood just north of the 134 Freeway. Serving over 40 families this project embodies sustainable living, organic gardening, and community organizing.

As the brainchild of the Coalition for a Green Glendale, a community group whose mission is to promote sustainable living in Glendale, the Garden is designed to do just that. They are the first community-run gardens in Glendale and the first in the State of California to use reclaimed water for irrigation. Complete with dozens of compost bins to recycle waste, demonstration gardens to show passersby how they can transform their yards, and promoting an urban agricultural lifestyle where you can grow your own food, the Garden stands out to the community as an opportunity to do something good at an individual and local level.

Today, the Monterey Road Eco-Community Garden wants to initiate another first in Glendale. Pending funding from a grant they are competing for, a bioswale in the parkway will be installed to divert stormwater from the street to instead go into the ground and naturally percolate down, preventing polluted water from entering the Los Angeles River. The Garden will also have rain barrels to capture water from the toolsheds and neighboring roofs, and install rain gardens where small ditches can turn into temporarily holding ponds for stormwater to collect.

If you want to get directly involved in helping the garden, click on the following link and cast your vote for your local Monterey Road Eco-Community Garden Project. You can vote once per day and the project needs to be ranked 1st 2nd or 3rd to win. The grant competition will end on March 15.

Additionally, if you want to be in touch with the Coalition for a Green Glendale to obtain a plot at the Gardens, regarding upcoming volunteer opportunities, free community-wide gardening workshops, and local environmental issues, please contact them Alek Bartrosouf at greenglendale@gmail.com.

Hi, my name is Maggie and I am an animal lover! Dogs are near and dear to my heart, especially the large, friendly variety. Two black Labradors are a part of my family and I often prefer to spend time with them, rather than most of the humans in my life. I look forward to contributing dog-related topics to Urban Toot in the future in “Canine Corner”.

My 9-year-old human son recently asked me what our earthquake plan is for our Labs. This child of mine often asks me questions that I do not have answers to and this one really stumped me. I am the crazy dog mom that has bought car seat belts for my dogs, organic dog food, hosted dog birthday parties, all natural flea treatments, etc. (you get the idea), but I had not thought of how to prepare and protect my furry loved ones in the event of an earthquake. I thought this question was quite timely as I was pondering what topic (of the hundreds in my head) I would start with for Canine Corner.

I did some research and found quite a bit of information. The American Kennel Club has a whole evacuation checklist and portable first aid kit list for pets (www.akc.org/disaster_preparedness/). Living in Southern California, we all more than likely have an earthquake kit, but does it include items for your pets? Have you considered how you will treat your pet in the event that he is injured in an earthquake?

-Identify hotels in your area that accept pets in the event that you need to relocate and include the number of the hotel in your emergency numbers. AAA (Auto Club) publishes a great book called “Traveling With Your Pet” which lists hotels in your area that accept pets. In Glendale, you can take your pet to the following: Homestead Studio Hotel, Los Angeles Days Inn Glendale, and Vagabond Inn Glendale. There are many more hotels, this is just a start. You can also refer to www.officialpethotels.com. Remember, not all shelters accept pets, so it’s important to have an alternate relocation site in place for your pet.

-Prepare a to-go bag in the event that you need to evacuate with dog food, bottled water, medicines, veterinary records, food dishes and first aid kit.

-Make sure your dog has a current I.D tag attached to his collar with your phone, address and pet’s name. Also have a current photo of your dog for identification purposes.

-Make sure you have a leash, harness and pet carrier in the event that your dog panics, you don’t want him to escape.

The FEMA article covers how to prepare for a disaster, and what to do with your pet during and after a disaster. FEMA also developed a video to help pet owners prepare for emergencies!

I also learned some tips from the article “Shaking up the Dog-Earthquake Preparedness” (www.dogtraining.sandiego.com/2010/06/shaking-up-the-dog-earthquake-preparedness). Make sure that your dog has an I.D. tag on his collar at all times and microchip him, if you have not already. Keep your neighbors’ phone numbers with you so that if you are away from home during an earthquake, you can call your neighbors to help you with your dog. Place a sticker in your window at home that states that there are dogs living there (good for fire rescue also!). It is also a good idea to have your local vet and emergency clinic numbers with you at all times.

And finally, an article by the ASPCA provided a few more things to consider (www.aspca.org/pet-care/disaster-preparedness/). The ASPCA recommends that you contact your vet for a list of preferred boarding kennels, ask your local animal shelter if they provide emergency shelter and ask out of town friends/relatives if they are willing to provide shelter for your pet if need be. ASPCA also suggests a “designated caregiver” who has a key to your home and could help with your pet if you are not able too. This caregiver could help your pet if something happens to you or you can not get home for an extended period of time. They recommend that leashes be kept close to your door and that dogs be brought inside at the first sign of an earthquake.

Wow, a lot of information but all helpful and could save your canine’s life. I went back to my son with my answer to his question and we reviewed our pet emergency plan as a family. Our furry friends are often helpless and rely on us to keep them safe. Let’s all cross our fingers and paws that we will not need to put the above procedures in place. Remember to pet and love your dog many times each day, they are only with us for a short time!

Maggie Mason, M.S.W.

Mother of two humans and two canines. Author and therapist in “pre-mom life”.

Glendale is a wonderful place to live but a tough place to be a blogger. Many bloggers start and then stop. Its okay, blogging isn’t as easy as it seems. To constantly come up with fresh content when you are probably working a day job and have all the other pressures of life is difficult. We applaud these Glendale Bloggers for their perseverance and for letting us know their thoughts about Glendale.

Here is a list of some of our favorite local blogs:

Tropico Station – Is written by Scott who descirbes himself as that he does indeed. ” live, work, bike, and walk in southwest and downtown Glendale. ” Tropico is a great blog that is updated about once or twice a month and always has really good fresh content. Urban Toot has lots and lots of respect for Tropico Station.

Glendale Noon Concerts – We think that Glendale Noon Concerts are a best kept secrect in Los Angeles. While not exactly a secrect we do wish that everyone knew more about these free (did we say “FREE?”) concerts in Glendale. The blog does a great job at keeping the schedule up to date and allowing you to see whats coming up. It’s worth a good long look and even better go to a FREE concert!

Leon Bakery & Cafe – While we must disclose that Leon is a client of Smack Smog This most incredible Bakery and Cafe serves real Peets Coffee. That alone is worth putting them on the list but the really cool thing about this blog is that you can tell that they love what they do! They blog about their pastries, their coffee, etc. They love to donate coffee to community groups and even host community meetings at their shop!

Kendyl’s Open House – There are many fine Realtors in Glendale but I have to tell you that Kendyl uses technlogoy better then anyone I have ever seen in her field. She blogs via the traditional written word as well as video blogging. You can get current up to date information on the market as well as who knows what information from her blog.

Ascencia – Formerly known as PATH Achieve Glendale they changed their name but kept their commitment to end homelessness in Glendale. While we wish that they would update their blog more often (at least lately) we do understand that it is the holiday season and that they must be busy.

La Canada Preschool – While technically not in Glendale it’s only about 10 minutes away. La Canada Preschool is the oldest preschool in La Canada. They tweet and blog on a semi regular basis and provide good information about early childhood development and preschool issues that affect everyone with small children. Oh and we should also point out that they are also a client of Smack Smog.

Sunroom Desk – Sunroom Desk is a cool website with lots of good information about whats happening in Glendale and how larger things like the state budget can impact our great city of Glendale. Lots of news about community events, reports and grassroots organizations. Sunroom Desk really pulls everything together for the people of Glendale.

We know that there must be other good blogs out there. What local bloggers do you find deserving? Let us know in the comments!

You see I’m a little unhappy that the Glendale Unified School District waited until 8:30 Thursday morning to issue a press release saying that the schools are open. I’m sure that most of Glendale was aware of the severe wind storm this past Wednesday evening. In fact according to the National Weather Service Forecast Office winds were spotted up to 60 miles per hour in the hills above Glendale. I didn’t check back but it appeared to me that the winds continued to pick up. Here is some info from the National Weather Forecast Office from Wednesday night.

There is no doubt that there was quite a bit of storm damage to our community. At the time of writing this I haven’t seen any reports about injury or fatalities and I hope everyone is okay. However many trees were blown down in the storm blocking streets and sidewalks. Power lines were knocked down causing at least one electrical flare up but I suspect more.

My question is how do we know when is it safe to go to school? What criteria does the Glendale Unified School District use to determine if the schools should stay open or closed? Why did it take until 15 minutes after school to start for GUSD to say that the schools would be open? After so much wide spread tree damage to the community how do we know if the school campuses are safe for students to attend. Is it wrong to question the safety of school site when tree’s have been damaged and need to be removed? I personally don’t think it is wrong.

You see The Pasadena Unified School District issued this statement on their website:

EMERGENCY NOTICE! SCHOOLS CLOSED TODAY

Due to severe wind damage in Pasadena, ALL PUSD schools are closed today, December 1. All afterschool programs are cancelled today.

Again I ask. When is it safe to go to school and what criteria does the district use to make that determination and when they do can they let the community know sooner.

I I finally saw this notice on the GUSD Website.

NEWS ADVISORY, as of 8:30 a.m.
Glendale schools OPEN after windstorm
All Glendale and La Crescenta public schools open for classes
GLENDALE, CA -- The Glendale Unified School District is open and operating this morning after the
overnight windstorm of November30-December 1.
The Glendale school district includes all public schools in Glendale and La Crescenta.
Crescenta Valley High School, La Crescenta Elementary School and Glenoaks Elementary School are
currently without electrical power but telephones are working and classes are in session.
Students are being advised to avoid storm debris and steer clear of any downed power lines.
The Glendale Unified School District includes of 20 elementary schools, four middle schools, five high
schools and two program facilities for independent learners and for special needs students.

Note that the time of the press release is 15 minutes after most schools are scheduled to begin. So 15 minutes after school started GUSD advised students “to avoid storm debris and steer clear of any power lines.” In my opinion thats too little, too late.” Most students and their families had already made their decisions to go to school. We rely on our School District to do a better job communicating with us about these matters. The GUSD website has a General Emergency Informationpage but it only addresses the issue of dissemination of information via:

Using the telephone – In an earthquake or other major emergency, telephones may not be operating or lines may be too busy to call the schools. In this case, do not use the phone. Go to the school and pick up your child(ren) as soon as possible. When phones are operating, the district will put on its 24-Hour Emergency Information “Hot” Line. The number is 818-241-3111.

Cable television & city radio – Emergency information and updates related to the schools will appear as soon as possible on Charter Cable Channel 15 (Glendale Schools education channel) or AT&T U-verse GREG-tv. Cable Channel 6 (City of Glendale) will provide community-related information. Note: Cable TV access restricted to Charter Communications subscribers in Glendale. The City of Glendale also operates a limited signal radio station (1680-AM), which can be heard within the city (effective June 2003).

School district web site – As possible, emergency information and updates will be posted on the school district’s website. The address is:http://www.gusd.net. The home page will direct users to the proper location on the site.

Radio & Television – If possible, the district will send information to radio stations KFWB (AM-980) and KNX (AM-1070), along with other radio and TV stations. The district will make every attempt to communicate accurate information to the media but cannot guarantee the accuracy of what goes on the air.

Newspapers – Emergency information will appear in newspapers serving the district, including the Glendale News-Press, Daily News and CV Weekly. Efforts will be made to place information in foreign language newspapers that publish in Spanish, Armenian and Korean.

Why are there no Social Media outlets? Why nothing about Facebook (The number 2 website in the world) YouTube (The number 3 website in the world) and Twitter (which has 175 Million Users).

I witnessed students pathways being blocked on both sides of the road by trees and debris and students climbing over and through the debris in order to get to school. Traffic was backed up for blocks in some areas, and cars were running red lights which makes it even more dangerous to walk or drive to school.

Glendale has a wonderful education system and I applaud everyone who works in the school district for their hard work and dedication to the students and their families. No one is perfect and GUSD does a very admirable job in creating such a wonderful education system. I do think that this is an opportunity for GUSD to take a long hard look at it’s self and to consider how it can do better next time.

I turn on the news with total trepidation, and more often lately, dread. Typically the first five stories are about death, political unrest, the failing US economy, or terrorism. I seriously don’t know why I bother, yet I am literally aware of the latest breaking news throughout the day. We no longer get our news only at 5:00 or 6:00. We see it on TV throughout the day, hear it in our cars, and browse for it on our computers at will 24/7.

Unfortunately, mainstream news is morphing into tabloid sensationalism. Breaking News – Lindsey Lohan is heading back to jail. Really?!? Taylor Armstrong’s husband commits suicide. Taylor who? Why does the news media think, no, insist we care? Are hard news issues so depressing that we’re offered News Light as a friendly diversion or is good news simply not exciting enough? Not to give the impression that I am totally down on what’s considered news, I have been riveted with the Conrad Murray/Michael Jackson trial, much as I was with the Casey Anthony and OJ Simpson trials. Allowing cameras in the courtroom incurs a level voyeurism that incites (and seduces) the public to form opinions, sometimes erroneous opinions; however; it doesn’t stop here. There’s the recap programs. Specifically, Headline News (HLN/Charter Channel 49) with Nancy Grace, Jane Velez-Mitchell, and Dr. Drew asking a variety of talking-head experts who discuss and disseminate the day’s testimony, which further frustrates armchair jurors like myself. The defense in the Michael Jackson trial will be resting soon, deliberations will begin, but as we’ve learned from the Anthony and Simpson cases, nothing is a slam-dunk.

Several years ago I made a concerted effort to avoid watching late night news based on the premise that I did not want to go to bed with sad thoughts and images freshly implanted in my brain. Instead I’d watch reruns of Friends, Seinfeld, Sex and the City, or The Daily Show. At least I’d be laughing myself to sleep. This experiment lasted a month. I needed a reality fix – good, bad or otherwise. I guess I’m just a glutton for punishment.

On the bright side, the best news I’ve heard in years is a clinical study that confirms dark chocolate is healthy to eat every day. EVERY DAY! That’s the kind of news we can all agree is a relevant breakthrough in medical science. I’ll continue to monitor the news because one day the stock market will turn around, our troops will come home, Republicans will pick a candidate, and dammit, I want to be the first to know.

Tim Allen returns to the small screen as Mike Baxter, an aging baby boomer, father of three daughters, and a relatively new grandfather . He is married (never divorced – I feel compelled to qualify that) to Vanessa, played by Nancy Travis (3 Men and a Baby), who recently returns to the workplace after years as a stay-at-home mom. Their eldest daughter Kristin is a 22 year old unmarried mother of little Boyd living at home with her sisters, 17 year old Mandy, and 14 year old Eve. The laughs are driven by Allen’s solo frustrated alpha-male surrounded by estrogen-overload. Sometimes it works, sometimes not so much.

I decided to give this new sitcom a shot since I am also a former stay-at-home mom of daughters who recently returned to work, and I loved Tim Allen in Home Improvement. Grandparenthood is still far off in my future, but I am increasingly surrounded by friends who have crossed over into that final frontier. This show had promise. I wanted to like it, I really did. Sadly, the situations and dialogue come off forced, and good ol’ Mom and Dad act like buffoons. Case in point, Vanessa, who is likely in her late 40s gets upset when another woman, clearly in her 60s, refers to her as, “women our age,” which flusters Vanessa and drives her to recapture her youth, if only through fashion. Amid blasting techno-pop in a Forever 21ish boutique, Vanessa admires herself in colorful sweater only to be told by the teenage clerk that she’s wearing shorts. Mike attends Grandparents Day at his grandson’s preschool and instantly clashes with the New Age, ultra-liberal, politically correct director. When Mike/Tim notices a cute child with curly hair, dressed in a tutu then finds out his name is Doug, he blurts out something insulting to both parent and director, and is promptly asked to leave the preschool. He thinks he’s prepared to take care of his grandson himself at his place of business, but after one too many poopy diapers returns to the preschool with his tail firmly between his legs and begs for forgiveness.

Last Man Standing may be able to limp through the season thanks to the strength of its star, Tim Allen, but this otherwise uninspired comedy needs to step up the writing and pull situations from real life if it expects to stroll into another season.

Fall is in the air. The leaves are turning colors, the air is getting crisp and the days are getting shorter. Every new season brings the opportunity to try new activities, start new traditions and to experience new foods with your family. One of the best ways to try new foods is to eat according to what is in season. Eating seasonally and locally (buying foods at your local farmer’s markets) will not only save you money (seasonal fruits and veggies are less expensive) but will also give you the most nutritional value because once a fruit or vegetable is harvested their nutritional value begins to decrease.

To find out what is in season in your area and for your local farmer’s markets log onto sustainabletable.org. Here is a sampling of what is in season during the months of October and November:

Apples

Artichokes

Beets

Broccoli

Collards

Eggplant

Grapefruit

Grapes

Kiwi

Okra

Passion fruit

Peppers

Persimmons

Pomegranates

Tangelos

Tangerines

Winter squash

Yams

In Season: Apples

A medium unpeeled apple contains approximately 4 grams of fiber. Some of which is soluble fiber that plays a role in lowering cholesterol while the rest is insoluble fiber, which helps with digestion and weight control. This month try a new apple recipe or take your child apple picking; this way your child gets involved and knows where the food is coming from. Go to www.pickyourown.org to find a place in your neighborhood to go apple picking.

Apple Cheddar Quesadillas

-Apples (sweet and crunchy works best: Fuji, Braeburn, Granny smith)

-Regular or whole-wheat tortillas

-Shredded cheddar cheese

Cut apple into thin slices. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons cheese over one half of the tortilla. Place 4-5 apple slices on top of the cheese. Then sprinkle 2 more tablespoons of cheese on top of the apple slices and fold in half. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat (use cooking spray, if desired) and cook until the cheese is melted and quesadillas are golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.

In Season: Pumpkins

Teach your child that pumpkins are not just for carving, but for eating too. The best type of baking pumpkin is a Sugar or Pie pumpkin. A pumpkin isa nutritional powerhouse loadedwith fiber, calcium, potassium, vitamin C and beta-carotene that may prevent heart disease and certain types of cancer. The good news is that fresh and canned pumpkin is equally nutritious. So if you do not have the time to cut up a pumpkin and bake it, one cup of canned pumpkin contains 310% of the recommended daily allowance for vitamin A.

But don’t just stop at pumpkins though. There are a wide variety of other winter squashes just waiting to be tried such as butternut, carnival, and acorn squash.

How to enjoy a winter squash:

Cut in half, scoop the seeds out, drizzle with olive oil (and brown sugar if you like), sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20- 25 minutes.

Remember if you want your family to try new things you need to provide the food and model the behavior. Just because your child does not like it the first time does not mean he will never like it. It may take up to seven tries before a child will accept a new food!

Sleep. Not many of us get enough. Whether we work long hours, are taking care of family obligations or lay awake at night having trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep, we could all use some more. But did you know that there is a correlation between your weight and your sleep patterns?

Think about the last time you were running on next to no sleep. What did you eat that day? Did you care about what you were putting into your body? Were you more hungry than usual?

Think about the new mom that is having trouble losing her baby weight. Is she lazy? More than likely, no. She is in a losing battle. She is taking care of her newborn, while trying to recover herself on little or no sleep. Her body is unable to function normally because of the lack of sleep that she is getting.

When our bodies do not get enough sleep, the hormones that keep our appetites in check start working differently. Leptin, which functions as an appetite suppressant is lowered and Ghrelin, which stimulates appetite is boosted. This in turn can cause an increase in caloric intake far above what is needed, especially a craving for foods with high amounts of carbohydrates. This would in turn support the findings by Emmanuel Mignot and his colleagues that people with short durations of sleep have higher Body Mass Indexes (BMI)*, which is directly related to one’s risk of disease. A poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation found that the average time Americans were sleeping had decreased from 8.0- 8.9 hours a night in the 1960’s to 6.9-7.0 hours in 2000. Pair those statistics with the fact that obesity has been on the rise and a startling pattern can be made between lack of sleep, overeating and weight gain.

A study in the journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine showed that people with sleep disorders tend to eat a diet that is higher in cholesterol, protein and total fat, including saturated fat.

Another interesting find is that according to the Archives of Internal Medicine, people that are getting five or fewer hours of sleep a night are more likely to be diabetic.

The moral of the story: sleep is a precious commodity and everyone needs to make time for it. Whether it is working a little less, cutting back on television or not staying out as late, sleep needs to be in the forefront of everyone’s mind who is trying to lead a healthy lifestyle. Leading a healthy lifestyle encompasses more than just eating right and getting exercise. It is about one’s total health, which includes allowing the body the proper amount of sleep that it needs to recover and function properly.